Israel's full Cabinet was meeting Friday evening on the Gaza ceasefire deal that would pause the fighting and release dozens of hostages held by Hamas militants along with Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

E ven before the ceasefire in Gaza Donald Trump had begun to reshape the Middle East. He was influential in pushing Israel to a truce with Lebanon in November. The fragile deal struck between Israel and Hamas on January 15th further reduces the intensity of the fighting in the region and resets Israel’s domestic politics.

President-elect eyes Joe Kent, a right-wing former congressional candidate, to head the country's top counterterror agency

When he enters the White House on Monday, President Trump will be faced with an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the region for the better.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down from what it called a “last minute crisis.